


hidden smiles and brushed hands

by tusktooth



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Miscommunication, Multi, Polyamory, TUC Prompt Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26210125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tusktooth/pseuds/tusktooth
Summary: pete has something important to tell ricky and esther, if he can find the courage to say the words.
Relationships: Ricky Matsui/Pete the Plug/Esther Sinclair
Comments: 13
Kudos: 54
Collections: Dimension 20's The Unsleeping City Prompt Meme





	hidden smiles and brushed hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nonbinarywithaknife (littleboxes)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [littleboxes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/pseuds/littleboxes) in the [TUC_Prompt_Meme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TUC_Prompt_Meme) collection. 



> stan [jack](https://nonbinarywithaknife.tumblr.com/) for coming up with this prompt they're practicing galaxy brain behavior as usual!!! sldkfjdlsak thank you for throwing this prompt in the tuc prompt meme bc it was so fun to write!!!  
> as always y'all can find me on [tumblr](http://adaine.tumblr.com/)

Pete wasn’t the type of guy to admit when he had a crush. He was more nervous than he’d like to be and the thought of rejection was horrifying.

But Pete, without any semblance of doubt, had feelings for Ricky and Esther. At this point, it was more than a crush, maybe. It was the feeling of home whenever he laid on the couch between them, eating pizza and watching baseball even though he didn’t care enough to follow the sport. It was hidden smiles and brushed hands. It was the warm feeling that filled his heart when he felt a brush of lips against his when he was too close to being asleep to know if that was something that happened in the waking world or in Nod.

At the same time, though, he didn’t want to fuck it up. Because the only real functional relationship he had ever been in was with Priya and, even then, that was only occasionally functional. What’s more, he had no idea if Ricky and Esther were interested in a polyamorous relationship at all and, if they were, exactly how it would work.

His relationship with Priya had been open for a while but that was honestly just because she wanted to fool around and he just waited for her and, well, he knew that wasn’t really healthy but he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to find himself in something better, even if Esther and Ricky obviously were better people.

What Pete wanted was this: to date both of them and for them to date him and nobody else. But they might not want that or they might never see him as an equal partner. Always being the last choice was a terrifying prospect.

It felt like he had to do  _ something _ , though. It was hard, going home every night knowing that they got to be together or sleeping on their couch and watching the two of them retreat to their bedroom without him.

When he explained his dilemma to Kingston when they were having lunch, he fucking  _ laughed _ .

Pete lobbed a cherry tomato at him and it hit him square between the eyes. “This is not a laughing matter. I’m having a fucking crisis, man.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Kingston laughed as he neatly set the tomato on an isolated space on his plate. “It’s just, you’re really so stressed about this, Pete?”

“Yes, I fucking am!” he replied. “And you’re making it worse. You know, I don’t have anyone else to talk about this shit with. Rowan is hot and intimidating now and Sofie would tell everyone immediately without meaning to.”

“I really think that you don’t have anything to worry about,” he told him. “Just  _ talk to them _ . What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Dude, you realize that by saying that, you’ve completely fucking screwed me, right,” he said. “God, they’re never going to want to fucking talk to me again. And that’s the best-case scenario. They might pull some Priya level shit, for all I know.”

“Okay, slow down, Pete,” Kingston said, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “This is Esther and Ricky we’re talking about. If you think that either of them would do what Priya did to you, then you seriously don’t know who they are. If Esther didn’t like you in any way, she’d tell you straight up and Ricky, well, he’s just Ricky.”

He nodded, panicked look still strewn across his face. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You know so,” he replied. “Pete, you’ve grown a lot since we first met, and even if I didn’t know Ricky and Esther personally, I’d know that telling them is the right choice because you surround yourself with good people now. Good people don’t kick their friends to the curb because they have feelings for them.”

“If I’m woefully rejected by them will you do pizza night with me?” he asked.

Kingston laughed. “Yeah, Pete. We can do pizza night.”

He took a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll tell them. Just as soon as I hang out with them naturally. Like I don’t want to make a whole thing around telling them because if it doesn’t work out then shit is gonna be hella awkward.”

“You do that, Pete,” he replied with a smile.

“I will,” he promised him with a curt nod.

“Next time you see them?”

“I mean, I don’t know. What if-” he started.

“The answer is yes,” Kingston said, standing up from his chair. “Now get your ass up. You’ve got a shift in less than half-an-hour and I’ve got to clean up before Liz comes over tonight. We’re making tacos.”

“Is that really a good date food?” he asked. “Considering-”

“No considering. Absolutely not,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Go get ready for your shift.”

While teasing Kingston was immensely fun, he did need to hurry if he was going to get to the bookstore in time for his shift so he hurriedly got changed into his uniform and rushed down the street.

* * *

The next time he was Ricky and Esther was that very night, directly after his shift. It wasn’t surprising that the turn around was that soon: he went over there most nights anyway. Nights alone were kind of a thing of the past for him. He was either doing dinner with Kingston’s family, reality TV marathons with Sofia, or he was at the Matsui-Sinclair household, eating their food and laying on their couch.

Pre-realization, it was really nice. He was so used to bouncing between people that didn’t care for him beyond his access to drugs and shitty apartments that he had to hide basically everything from. Now he had this solid group of friends who enjoyed him for who he was and let him into their lives. Ricky and Esther’s was always one of the best places to be after they moved in together extremely early due to an expiring lease. They fed him and entertained him and let him do whatever he needed to do on an emotional level.

Now, it was still honestly kind of nice because he got to spend time with people that he really liked on top of all the original benefits but it was also mildly nervewracking as well.

“I need to talk to you guys,” he announced as he sat between them, a plate of something unbearably healthy placed in front of him on the coffee table and Ox curled up at his feet.

“The inning is almost over,” Ricky said, absent-mindedly.

Esther reached over Pete to lightly whack him on the arm. “You can hit pause, you dork.”

Ricky hit pause and blinked for a moment. “Right. What were we talking about?”

She snorted. “Pete had something to tell us. Were you really that invested in the game?”

“It’s tied and the bases are  _ loaded _ , babe!” he exclaimed.

“I mean like if you really want to finish-” Pete started.

“No,” Ricky replied with a shake of his head. “The game can wait if you wanted to say something. You’re way more important than baseball.”

He nodded. “Okay. Okay, it’s that. Shit. I just wanted to say-”

Pete paused, looking between them. Despite his pointless rambling, they were both looking at him patiently and attentively.

“Sorry,” he said, squeezing his fists and releasing the tension before continuing. “I guess I just wanted to say that it’s awesome that you guys let me into your space. Like spending time with you is really fucking dope. And I think that, over the past while, I’ve really come to like you, both of you. I guess I just want to say that you two are fucking awesome and I don’t know if you would be into this and if not feel free to like ask me to leave or something, but I was wondering if you wanted to like date or some shit. All three of us.”

“I’m confused,” Ricky announced as Esther started laughing uncontrollably.

“Right, the laughter really isn’t cutting it for me,” he said. “Between Kingston and you, I swear.”

“Pete, we’ve been dating for a month and a half,” she told him.

“I kissed you like last week,” Ricky added.

“So that  _ was _ real,” he said, more to himself than anything. “Wait, we’ve been dating all this time?”

Ricky nodded. “I mean you’re here practically all the time and we’re always cuddling and we’ve gone out on dates before. I thought it was obvious.”

“But like we never like  _ do stuff _ ,” he reasoned. “I always crash on the couch when I stay over.”

“We thought you wanted to take it slow,” Esther said. “Neither of us really wanted to push you because we knew your last relationship was complicated.”

He flopped against the back of the couch. “Am I just an idiot?”

“Maybe,” Esther said with a shrug. “But it’s pretty cute.”

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” Ricky told him, throwing an arm around him and holding him close. “Relationships can be confusing when stuff isn’t said out loud, man. But I’m really happy that I get to be in one with you. Unless you don’t want to anymore.”

He shook his head. “No, I still want to. I extremely want to.”

Esther pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Good. We still want you around.”

“God,” Pete said with a smile. “You two are the fucking best.”

“And, you know, if you wanted to “do stuff,” we upgraded to a king for a reason,” Esther teased.

“Oh god. Fuck yes,” he replied. “I’m not even playing. Let’s go right fucking now.”

“Can we finish the game first?” Ricky asked them.

Esther laughed. “Sure, babe.”

They snuggled together under a blanket and Ricky pressed pause. With them all together on the couch and Ox at their feet, Pete was really starting to fully understand what home felt like.


End file.
